County Championship Preview | Gloucestershire v Worcestershire
25 July 2023
Gloucestershire resume the historic Cheltenham Cricket Festival on Wednesday as West Midlands neighbours Worcestershire play at the festival for the first time since 2019.
Glos go into the match still searching for a first red-ball win of the season after rain prevented a result yet again against Glamorgan. Worcestershire start the match just two points off a promotion place after beating Leicestershire at New Road last time out.
The 2023 Cheltenham Cricket Festival continues against Worcestershire on Wednesday!
Team news
Dale Benkenstein selects a fourteen-player squad for the Worcestershire clash, with Zaman Akhter, Ed Middleton and Jack Taylor being added to the group in place of the Charlesworth brothers, Ben and Luke.
Ed Middleton has recovered from a side strain that kept him out of action for the last six weeks, while Jack Taylor provides batting cover after Ben Charlesworth had excess fluid drained from the back of his knee on Monday making him unavailable for selection.
Zaman Akhter could find his way back into the team after an impressive start to his Shire career in which he has taken ten Championship wickets.
Your 14-player Gloucestershire squad to face Glamorgan:
James Bracey*, Zaman Akhter, Dent, Zafar Gohar, Dom Goodman, Miles Hammond, Ed Middleton, Joe Phillips, Ollie Price, Tom Price, Josh Shaw, Jack Taylor, Matt Taylor, Paul van Meekeren.
Last time out
Gloucestershire played out a heavily rain-affected draw against Glamorgan in the opening fixture of the Cheltenham Cricket Festival. Half a day’s play was lost on day one and a full day’s play was lost on day three, stunting the impressive batting efforts of both teams at Cheltenham College.
Shire only batted once in the match due to the weather but did enjoy big innings from several batters including Chris Dent, who scored 113. Also in the runs was Ollie Price with 84, Miles Hammond with 57 and James Bracey with 60.
Dale Benkenstein’s side walked away from the match with 11 points have scored 402 runs for a healthy return on batting points.
Our opponents
Worcestershire sit third in the table on 111 points having won two of their last five matches and are hot on the heels of Sussex in second place. In their last outing vs Leicestershire at Oakham, the Pears strolled to a 100-run victory in what was a relatively low-scoring affair. The hosts bowled their opponents out for 110 and 137 across both innings and outscored the Foxes twice over.
Josh Tongue picked up five wickets in Leicestershire’s second innings to secure the victory for in-form Worcestershire.
Last meeting
Tom Price etched his name in the history books during Shire’s last match against Worcestershire at New Road, becoming one of only a few players to ever take a hat-trick and score a hundred on the same day in First-Class cricket.
As has been a common theme in Gloucestershire’s season so far, the rain had a major part to play in impacting the outcome, ultimately condemning both teams to have to settle for a draw. Tom Price may have claimed the headlines but Ajeet Singh Dale also had a match to remember. The fast-bowler claimed 6-41 as he shared the 10 Worcestershire wickets with Tom Price in the first innings.
How to watch
Gloucestershire face Worcestershire in the County Championship beginning on Wednesday 26 July at 11am at Cheltenham College Ground, Cheltenham.
If you can’t make it in person to support the Shire at the Cheltenham Cricket Festival, the game can be watched live in the Glos Cricket Match Centre. Coverage begins at 10:40.
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